Italian banks highly exposed to four non-EU countries
The Italian central bank Banca d’Italia published on Friday a list of countries outside the European Union to which Italian banks have significant exposure.
Under new rules designed to manage risks, the list includes the United States, Great Britain, Switzerland and Russia, reports KosovaPress.
This measure is part of a broader regulatory framework that aims to ensure the stability of the financial system by identifying and monitoring potential external shocks.
This assessment, according to the central bank, is based on data collected at the end of 2024.
The Bank of Italy measured the exposure of domestic banks to listed countries in relation to their total global exposure. The aim of these measures is to strengthen the stability of the financial system and prevent the spread of potential crises from third countries to the Italian market.
Identifying these countries allows the regulator to implement specific supervisory tools to keep risk under control. Particular attention is being paid to Russia, where major Italian banking giants are present.
Intesa Sanpaolo operates exclusively with corporate clients in Russia, while UniCredit also has a bank there that offers retail services.
An interesting detail comes from UniCredit. In the documentation related to the takeover bid for Banco BPM, UniCredit revealed that its Russian branch significantly increased its investments in Russian government bonds during the first quarter of this year. The value of these investments rose to 754 million euros, compared to 574 million euros in December last year.
The Bank of Italy’s decision represents an important step in the proactive management of financial stability.
Identifying countries with significant exposure allows regulators to implement stricter supervisory measures and, if necessary, require banks to hold additional capital reserves to mitigate potential losses.
This provides greater security not only for individual banks, but also for the entire Italian financial system.